


A man of his own invention

by trinipedia



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Challenge Response, Community: j2_everafter, Fanfiction, J2AU, M/M, RPS - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-01
Updated: 2011-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-15 19:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,868
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9253424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trinipedia/pseuds/trinipedia
Summary: Jensen is an enticing young man with blonde hair 70-feet long, who has been kept in a tower his entire life by his seemingly overprotective mother. Everything changes the day that Tristan the thief, by chance, scales the tower and stumbles upon him; Jensen strikes a deal with Tristan so that the charming thief takes him to the place where the floating lights he has seen every year on his birthday come from. Jensen is about to discover the world for the first time, and in the process he might even find out who he really is...and what he really wants.





	1. Part 1: Something that I tell myself I need

**Author's Note:**

> written for the [](http://j2-everafter.livejournal.com/profile)[j2_everafter](http://j2-everafter.livejournal.com/) challenge; thank you girls for being so awesome!
> 
>  **Amazingly amazing beta:**[](http://benskywalker88.livejournal.com/profile)[benskywalker88](http://benskywalker88.livejournal.com/) who saved my ass once again!
> 
>  **Amazingly amazing artist:** [](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/profile)[lightthesparks](http://lightthesparks.livejournal.com/)
> 
>  **Other amazingly amazing artist:** [](http://melmi92.livejournal.com/profile)[melmi92](http://melmi92.livejournal.com/)
> 
>  **Amazingly amazing cheerleader/handholder:** [](http://maya-freyja.livejournal.com/profile)[maya_freyja](http://maya-freyja.livejournal.com/)

 

  
Jensen woke up at 7 in the morning. He had always woken up at 7 in the morning, since he could remember; he had tried to go to bed later, or to stay awake longer, he even tried to tire himself out during the day so that he'd be exhausted when it was time for him to sleep...nothing ever worked. So there he was, his green eyes fluttering open as he took a sleepy look around.  
  
He yawned, not looking forward to getting up at all; it was only going to be another long, boring day, just like every other day, and it was so not fair. Suddenly a little raspy tongue licked his cheek, and he recoiled, squealing.  
  
"Chad! How many times have I told you not to do that?!" The small chameleon wrinkled his nose and licked him again, before running away as fast as his little legs allowed him to. "I'm gonna get you for this!!" Jensen yelled, jumping off the bed and giving chase.  
  
He was laughing now, all of his musings about his life completely forgotten. That's how he was: positive, happy, full of life and hope. He had his moments, of course, but he got through them almost unscathed.  
  
"Gotcha!" he exclaimed, grabbing the chameleon off the balcony as he pushed back a lock of his blond hair. It was ridiculously long, and Jensen had gotten so used to it that he barely tripped anymore the way he used to; he should have combed it before getting up, and by then the run had only tangled it up more. He sighed, but then shrugged; well, at least combing and brushing his hair would take some time off of his hands.  
  
Chad was looking at him expectantly, and Jensen bit his lower lip, pondering. "We could play hide and seek," he suggested. "Maybe see who wins best 23 out of 45?"  
  
The chameleon glared at him and Jensen huffed.  
  
"Okay, fine! What do you suggest then, mister?"  
  
The chameleon's little face lightened up as he pointed with his tail towards what was outside the window. Jensen followed his gaze for a brief second before shaking his head and sitting on the windowsill, his legs dangling out.  
At first, when he was a kid, he didn't dare do it, too afraid of losing his balance and falling from the very high tower he lived in, but he had since gotten used to it.  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't think so" he answered, his tone a little sad, as he pulled the chameleon on his lap. "Besides, I like it in here, and so do you."  
Chad's arched eyebrow made perfectly clear he didn't believe a word. Jensen sighed.  
  
Neither did he. 

 

  
Fifteen minutes later, Jensen started on his chores: he swept the floors, and then he polished and waxed them until they were clean. After that, it was time for laundry, mopping and shining up the ornaments scattered around, but even if he did it as meticulously as he could it usually never took more than an hour, two if he stopped often to play with Chad. He tried reading a little, even if he didn't have that many books to begin with and he knew them all by heart, but that only made it funnier for him to create twists and change the endings.  
  
Once he was done with that, with the help of his hair to pull himself up towards the ceiling, he painted. He loved painting so much, his mind could wander as he did and the colors together could show him a whole world he had never been able to see. He stared at the new explosion of red and golden and for a moment, he was quite happy, until a well-known knot in his chest reminded him that there was so much outside his tower. Jensen couldn't help feeling his life hadn't even started yet, and wasn't it sad?  
  
Chad tapping his shoulder got him out of his musing; the cake he had baked was ready, so he got down and took it out of the oven. "Mother will like it" he murmured, inhaling deeply the smell of fresh berries.  
  
He still had a few hours to kill before she came by, so he lay on the carpet and started a new puzzle, as Chad just stared at him. "I can start exercising," he muttered to himself as he pushed the last piece in position, "or learn to knit. Maybe candle-making?"  
  
The chameleon snickered, and Jensen narrowed his eyes."Any problems with that?" he growled.  
  
Yeah, he realized none of that sounded really manly, but he already spent like 5 hours a day brushing his hair, how much worse could it be? And so his days went by, as Jensen was stuck in the same place he had always been, no excitement, no adventures. Just more of the same.

 

  
"Tomorrow night, the lights will appear" he murmured, staring outside his window, his gaze lost behind the mountains. The day after was going to be his birthday and the lights had never failed him; they had brightened up the sky every year. Jensen had come to wait for them, like a present someone he didn't know gifted him with, and they gave him hope that someday things were going to be different.  
  
"What is it like out there, where they come from?" Jensen wondered out loud. He wanted to know. He wanted to see them, he wanted to know what they were, what made them glow, why on his birthday only...  
  
He would be 22 the following day. "Now that I'm older, Mother might just let me go!" he exclaimed, turning to Chad, and the chameleon nodded enthusiastically. Poor little fella, he was so done with being caged. Jensen understood him perfectly.  
  
"I'm gonna ask her today."

 

  
As he put away the last paintbrush, Jensen took a deep breath. "This is it" he stated, closing the lid of the box he put all of his painting materials in. "This is a very big day, Chad. I'm finally going to do it."  
  
As if on cue, a voice called out for him. "Jensen! Let down your hair!"  
  
"It's time" Jensen whispered, conspiratorially. "Now hide and don't let her see you." The chameleon licked his cheek once more and then bolted.  
  
"Come on, Jensen, I'm not getting any younger down here!" the voice called again, this time slightly annoyed. That just wouldn't do, Jensen had to make her happy or his plan was not going to work. "Coming, mother!" he answered, cheerfully as he approached the window and threw his hair out, so that his mother could grab it and he could pull her up.  
  
"Welcome home, Mother" he greeted her, a smile as big as he could manage.  
  
"Oh, Jensen, how do you manage to do that every single day without fail? It looks absolutely exhausting."  
  
Jensen shrugged. "I-exercise" he muttered, before following her through the room. "So, Mother, as you know tomorrow is a very big day..." he started, but his mother was too busy looking at her own reflection.  
  
"What do you see in that mirror?" she inquired.  
  
Jensen frowned, but before he could answer she went on.  
  
"I see strength, confidence, beauty" she said, and Jensen's chest swelled at the praise, until his mother blinked. "Oh, look! You're there too!"  
  
Jensen's shoulders sagged, and the woman chuckled.  
  
"I'm just teasing you, Jen, since you look so serious today. Stop taking everything so seriously, okay?"  
  
Jensen arched an eyebrow. "Sure. So, as I was saying-"  
  
"Jensen. Your mother's feeling a little run down" she interrupted him again. "Would you sing for me, dear? Then we'll talk."  
  
Jensen sighed. "Of course, mother."  
  
The woman sat in her comfy armchair as Jensen sat in front of her, with his legs crossed. She grabbed a brush from her bag and started brushing Jensen's hair, as he sang softly.  
  
_Flower, gleam and glow: let your power shine, make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine._  
  
His hair started glowing then, and the glowing intensified as he kept on singing.  
  
_Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine._  
  
As soon as the glowing reached his mother's hands, a shiver went through her; in an instant, her wrinkles and the almost invisible signs of aging disappeared, as if they had never been there before. The woman hummed in satisfaction.  
"Now, what were you-"  
  
"As I was saying" Jensen started once more, overexcited "tomorrow is a pretty big day because it's my birthday! I will be 22 tomorrow."  
  
The woman smiled but shook her head. "It can't be" she said "I distinctly remember your birthday was last year."  
  
Jensen blinked. "That's the thing about birthdays, they're-kind of an annual thing." The woman huffed and stood, but Jensen wouldn't have any of it and grabbed her arm. "It doesn't matter. Listen, Mother, what I really want for this birthday...well, actually what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays..."  
  
"Jensen, stop with the mumbling and spit it out!" the woman growled, and Jensen swallowed.  
  
"I want to see the floating lights" he finally rushed out, and the woman froze.  
  
"W-what?" she stuttered, going pale, but once that it was finally in the open Jensen was too excited to notice.  
  
"I was hoping you would take me to see the floating lights" he repeated, pulling a curtain and showing her the picture of them he had painted just that morning.  
  
"Oh, you-you mean the stars" she tried, but Jensen shook his head.  
  
"It's not stars. I've charted them, and stars are always constant. But these?" he pointed at them. "These appear every year on my birthday, Mother. Only on my birthday. And I can't help but feel they're meant for me." Jensen's voice slid into a dreamy whisper, as his eyes shone, and the woman clenched her jaw. "I need to see them, Mother, please! Not just from my window, but in person. I have to know what they are" Jensen pleaded.  
  
The woman narrowed her eyes. "You want to go outside? But you're still a little sapling, just a sprout, Jensen! Did you forget why you're living in this tower?"  
  
Jensen bit his lower lip. "Of course I haven't. But-"  
  
"No buts!" she exclaimed. "We have to keep you safe, dear. Mother knows best." She had always feared for that day to come. Jensen was a young man, full of life, so really it was just a matter of time before he started to wonder what life outside could be like, but...she hoped it wouldn't be so soon.  
  
"It's a scary world out there, something is bound to go wrong" she stated, walking around him like a vulture. "Ruffians, thugs, poison Ivy, quicksand..."  
  
Jensen stepped back, looking a little weary, so she kept going.  
  
"Cannibals, snakes, maybe even the plague."  
  
"No!" Jensen exclaimed, curling his arms protectively around his chest. Surely it couldn't be that bad, his Mother was simply trying to scare him.  
  
"I can't protect you if you don't let me, Jensen" she murmured, softly. "Skip the drama and stay with Mama, hm?"  
  
Jensen arched an eyebrow. "I'm a guy, Mother. I'm the one who should protect you, not the other way around" he protested, but she shook her head.  
  
"Doesn't matter, darling. On your own, you won't survive. You're sloppy, underdressed, immature and clumsy: they'll eat you up alive."  
  
Jensen lowered his head, his eyes fixed on his naked feet and the cascade of his hair all over the floor and he felt his cheeks burn with shame. The woman's smile turned feral.  
  
"You're gullible, naive, ditzy and a bit vague, too."  
  
Jensen cringed, but she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"I'm only saying this because I love you, darling, and I don't want to see you get hurt. You know that, right?"  
  
Jensen gritted his teeth and nodded shakily. He had always known his mother didn't think much of him, he just never thought he was such a failure in her eyes. She was the only family he had, though, the only one who cared about him, so she had to be right.  
  
The woman felt the moment all the strength left Jensen's body and rejoiced internally. "Now that you understood, Jensen, don't ever ask to leave this tower again."  
  
Jensen clenched and unclenched his fists. "Yes, Mother."  
  
She patted his head, satisfied. "I love you very much, dear."  
  
"I love you more" Jensen replied, on autopilot.  
  
She didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she simply didn't care. "I love you most" she concluded, before walking back to the window. Jensen let his hair out and his mother climbed down the way she came up. "I'll see you in a bit, my flower" she said, waving at him as she walked away.  
  
"I'll be here" Jensen murmured when she was already too far to hear him.

 

  
"Oh, the wonders we've seen! And it's only like 10 in the morning!"  
  
The three men were running as fast as they could through the forest. One of them had long, blonde hair and was wearing a turquoise shirt. The second one had short dark hair and was dressed in red. The third one, the tallest of the group, had a disheveled mop of brown hair slapping his cheeks, covered by a five o'clock shadow that concurred to give him that scruffy look he probably liked, if his crinkled clothes which original color was barely recognizable anymore were of any indication.  
  
They ran by a tree where a few WANTED posters were waving in the breeze, and the tall one stopped abruptly, panting hard and holding a leather bag tightly against his side. He ripped one of the posters from the trunk and gaped at it.  
  
"This is bad" he muttered to himself "this is _very_ bad."  
  
One of his companions, who stopped too and were now catching their breath, rolled his eyes. "What is wrong this time, Tristan?" he asked, annoyed, as if he had already posed the same question before.  
  
The tall guy, Tristan, huffed. "Look, Steve! They can't get my nose right!" he whined, showing them the picture.  
  
"Who cares?" growled the one dressed in red, and Tristan glared at him.  
  
"It's easy for you to say, Chris, you guys look amazing" he retorted, pointing at their poster.  
A high neigh close by snapped them out of their reverie, and the three started running once more, not without Tristan grabbing his poster and storing it in the bag he's carrying. They almost thought they made it, until they found themselves in front of a rock wall. Tristan's eyes shifted from side to side, then he nodded to himself.  
  
"All right, okay" he said "give me a boost and I'll pull you up."  
  
Chris snorted. "Fine. Give us the satchel first" he answered, and Tristan gasped.  
  
"Wha-are you serious? I can't believe that after all we've been through together you don't trust me" he snapped, clearly offended.  
  
Steve and Chris arched an eyebrow, and Tristan sighed, offering them the bag before they started pushing him up.

 

  
"Now help us up, pretty boy" Steve ordered, extending an arm towards Tristan once he was safe and sound over the brink, but the guy smirked.  
  
"Sorry" he replied "my hands are full." As soon as he had finished the sentence, he dangled the satchel he had skillfully retrieved as he climbed, chuckled and left, deaf to the roars calling his name and promising indescribable tortures once they would finally get him. He had bigger fish to fry, namely the guards, who were getting closer with each passing second.  
  
"It's ours, now, Misha" the captain muttered to his horse, patting its neck as it galloped faster, before turning towards his men. "Retrieve the satchel by any means necessary!" he shouted, but in the heat of the moment he didn't notice the branch just in front of him and was tossed back, while his horse kept riding, oblivious.  
  
When the animal finally realized his horseman was not on his back anymore, for a moment he was about to go back, look for him, but then he could smell the thief and decided that was the chance he had been waiting for. He didn't need a stupid human to close the case. He could get the damn Tristan by himself. So he dropped his head down, smelling the grass, and gave chase.

 

  
The horse didn't notice the shadow behind the thick ivy curtain, too focused on smelling the faint trace, and kept going forward, without looking up.  
  
Tristan let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, relieved, before walking in the opposite direction. It didn't take more than a few steps for him to reach the exit of the cave, but what awaited on the other side took his breath away: in a clearing, hidden from the world, there was a precious waterfall and, right next to it, a tower. It was high, like vertigo high, and covered in musk and ivy. It probably had been there for centuries, Tristan thought to himself.  
  
The horse's neigh in the background prompted him to climb it; he was sure it was uninhabited, and it would be the perfect hideout until he had put together a plan. Of course, climbing the tower was not an easy task; he had to use his bare hands and an arrow to pull himself up, and as soon as he slid inside through an open window, he closed it to barricade himself inside.  
  
"Alone at last" he murmured, as he slowly undid the laces keeping the satchel closed, but he didn't get to see the contents; from nowhere, a gigantic iron pan fell on the back of his head, and he fell in a heap on the floor, unconscious.  
  
Right before passing out, he heard an hesitant "...oops?"

 

  
Jensen's heart was racing like a scared rabbit, and his hands trembled where they were still holding the pan up. He had jumped behind the wall when he had seen the stranger fall, but he was not moving so Jensen slowly approached him, poking his head with the edge of the pan. A few locks of brown hair fell on the side as Jensen moved him, revealing a strong jaw covered by a few days stubble and thin lips. Jensen pulled back the hair, worried about which monster would be hidden under the stranger's bangs, but all he found was dark eyebrows and a little mole right under his eye. In fact, the guy was sort ofâ€¦ cute.  
  
As Jensen stared, dazed, the guy's eyelids fluttered, revealing confused hazel irises, but before he could turn and see him, Jensen hit him with the pan again. He didn't want the stranger to see him dressed like that and looking like that, but he didn't dwell on why.

  


  
Helping himself with his hair, Jensen pulled the unmoving body of the stranger to his closet, and hid it there, blocking the doors with a chair.  
  
"Okay, Chad, we have a person-in our closet."  
  
Chad nodded, then stared at the pan.  
  
Jensen looked at it too, with a smug smirk on his face. "Too weak to handle myself out there, uh, Mother? Tell that to my frying pan."  
  
The chameleon cleared his throat and padded up to the satchel the stranger let fall, poking at it with his paw.  
  
Jensen frowned and approached it too; there was something sparkling inside, and he took it out. It was a circle, made of gold, apparently, and there were lots of differently colored stones scattered all over it. Jensen had never seen anything like it, and stared at it in awe. What could it have been for?  
It was way too big to be a bracelet, and it would have never passed through his head to make a necklace, so all that was left was...  
Jensen slowly lifted the object, and placed it on the top of his head, walking up to the mirror on the wall. Chad gasped, and so did he: it fit perfectly, and with that sparkling ornament in his blonde hair Jensen looked-different. He didn't have the time to process it, though, because right then his mother called out to him from outside.  
  
"Let down your hair, Jensen! I have a big surprise!" she shouted.  
  
Jensen quickly put the object back in the satchel and hid it in the first pot he could see, before running to the window. "I do too" he muttered, as he lifted his mother up.  
  
"I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner, darling, your favorite!" she announced once she set foot in the tower.  
  
Jensen smiled weakly. "Well, that's wonderful, Mother, but there is something I've gotta-"  
  
Samantha sighed. "Oh my, Jensen, you know how much I hate leaving you after a fight! Especially when I've done absolutely nothing wrong" she said, and Jensen's gaze shifted.  
  
"I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier, and-"  
  
Samantha glared at him. "I hope you're not still talking about the stars..." she interrupted him in a low, warning tone.  
  
"...floating lights. And actually, I do think-"  
  
"We dropped the subject" she hissed.  
  
"But Mother, I know you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there-"  
  
"I don't think, I _know_ you're not."  
  
"If you just listened to me!" Jensen exclaimed, frustrated, after his mother interrupted him for the umpteenth time and Samantha's gaze snapped up, cold and firm.  
  
"We are _done_ talking about this, I said" she growled. "Not another word, Jensen, I mean it; you are not leaving this tower. Ever."  
  
Jensen's eyes went wide, and he stepped back, his expression sad and hurt.  
Samantha huffed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Oh, great. Now I'm the bad guy."  
  
Jensen swallowed, hard, and felt his heart clench as he stared at the painting he made of him looking at the lights. He understood why his mother was trying to protect him, of course he did, but...he was a man, now. He had to make his own decisions, take some risks, grow up! He lifted his chin.  
  
"All I was gonna say, Mother, is that I know what I want for my birthday now."  
  
Samantha arched an eyebrow.  
"Pray tell, what is that?"  
  
Jensen bit his lower lip. "New paint" he replied "the one made with the white shells you once brought me."  
  
Samantha blinked. "That is a very long trip, Jensen! Almost three days!" she protested, but Jensen knew he had already won so he went for the kill.  
  
"I just thought it was a better idea than-the stars" he murmured.  
  
His mother, as expected, jumped to the occasion. "You sure you're gonna be alright on your own?" she asked, and Jensen nodded, trying not to appear too enthusiastic.  
  
"I know I'm safe as long as I'm here" he replied, with a smile as fake as it could be.  
  
Samantha patted his head. "I'll be back in three days time" she said, before he lowered her once more.  
  
As soon as she had disappeared through the ivy, Jensen closed the window and then slowly approached the closet, both hands gripping the handle of the pan tightly. "Okay" he murmured "let's do this.

 

  
Tristan was instantly awoken by something wet and sticky inside his ear, and jumped up, squeaking. His first instinct was to run and hide, but as soon as he tried to move he discovered he was tied to a chair. But it wasn't a rope holding him there. His gaze followed the blonde waves around the room as his eyes went progressively wider.  
  
"Is this...hair?!" he muttered, in disbelief.  
  
His confusion got only worse when a voice, a young, male voice at that, echoed from somewhere. "Struggling is pointless".  
  
He frowned, but before he could reply the voice spoke again.  
  
"I know why you're here" it said "and I'm not afraid of you."  
  
"That's why you're hiding in the dark?" Tristan retorted, unable to stop his tongue.  
  
The owner of the voice huffed. "Of-of course not!" he squeaked, and with a few, hurried steps he showed himself. He had to be a little older than Tristan, had deep green eyes and naked feet and was holding up a big black frying pan. The throb in the back of his head finally had an explanation.  
What grabbed his attention the most, though, was the guy's hair. It was incredibly long, unbelievably so, with different shades of blonde, and it looked so soft that if he had been able to he would have tried to intertwine his fingers through the locks to see if it actually was. There was so much hair, everywhere, and Tristan was speechless.  
  
"Who are you?" the guy insisted. "How did you find me?"  
  
Tristan cleared his throat. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you" he started. "All I can say is...Hey, what's up?" He beamed at the guy, showing off his dimples, trying to be as charming as he could. The guy just arched an eyebrow, apparently unfazed, so he went on. "Name's Tristan" he said. "How's your day going?"  
  
The guy blinked. "Was going fine until you burst into my house" he replied, lifting the pan. "Now, tell me. Who else knows my location, Tristan?"  
  
Tristan rolled his eyes. "Listen, blondie-"  
  
"Jensen" the guy corrected him, annoyed, and Tristan waved a hand dismissively.  
  
"Whatever. Here's the deal; I was in a bit of a situation, running through the forest, and came across your tower. I thought it was empty, and I could hide my-" His eyes went wide when he realized his hands were empty. "Oh, shit, where's my satchel?!" he exclaimed, his gaze shifting like crazy around the room looking for it.  
  
The guy (Jensen?) smirked smugly. "I've hid it, where you'll never find it unless I decide to give it back to you," he answered, crossing his arms on his chest.  
  
Tristan frowned. "And when will that be?"  
  
Jensen ignored his question and stepped closer. "So, what do you want with my hair, uh? To cut it? Sell it? What?!"  
  
Tristan snorted. "The only thing I want to do with your hair is to get out of it," he muttered. "Literally."  
  
Jensen stopped pacing and looked at him. "You're saying that you're not here for my hair?"  
  
"No!" Tristan exclaimed, frustrated. "I was being chased, I saw a tower and I climbed it. End of story."  
  
Jensen bit his lower lip, making Tristan notice for the first time how red and plump they were. _Not the right time, man, get a grip_ he said to himself.  
  
"Are you telling the truth?" Jensen asked once again, his eyes narrowed.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
Suddenly, a greenish little animal resembling a mutant lizard jumped on his shoulder and stared Tristan straight in the eyes, for a while, until he started fidgeting under the combined scrutiny. Then, he turned his little head to Jensen and nodded, making a weird clicking noise with his tongue before padding to him.  
  
"I know, I know, but I need someone to take me" Jensen said, as the sounds the animal was making turned high pitched. "I do think he's telling the truth, I'm glad you agree," he added. "And besides, what choice do I have?" The animal gurgled and bounced around Jensen's feet, and before Tristan could ask what the hell was going on, Jensen turned towards him once more.  
  
"Okay, Tristan. I'm prepared to offer you a deal."  
  
Tristan arched an eyebrow. "Deal?"  
  
Jensen pulled a curtain back, revealing a precious painting on the wall. "Do you know what these are?" he inquired.  
  
Tristan shrugged. "You mean the lantern thing they do every year for the prince?"  
  
Jensen's expression lit up. "So they are lanterns! I knew they weren't stars!" he exclaimed with a beaming smile, and Tristan found himself smiling back, even if he had no idea what for. "Tomorrow evening, the sky will be full of these lanterns" Jensen said. "Here's the deal; you will act as my guide, take me to see these lanterns and bring me home safely afterwards. Then, and only then, I'll return your satchel to you."  
  
Tristan let out a nervous chuckle. "No can do" he replied. "Unfortunately, the king and I are not exactly best buddies, at the moment, so I won't be taking you anywhere."  
  
Jensen narrowed his eyes. "Something brought you here, man" he retorted. "Call it what you will: fate, destiny..."  
  
"A horse" Tristan muttered, but once again Jensen ignored his comment.  
  
"Whatever it was, made me decide to trust you."  
  
"A horrible decision, really."  
  
"Do you ever shut up?!" Jensen huffed, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, just as I trust you, you can trust me when I say that you can tear this tower apart brick by brick, but without my help you will never find your precious satchel."  
  
It came out a little harsher than he expected, and Tristan shivered at the surprising assertiveness in the guy's voice. "Let me just get this straight," he replied. "I take you to see the lanterns, bring you back home and then you give me my satchel back?"  
  
Jensen nodded. "I promise. And I never break a promise."  
  
Tristan swallowed. He could try to woo this guy, he could maybe seduce him and get him to abide to his every wish, but- somehow, it didn't feel right. _Must really be an off day for me today_ he thought _this never happens._ "Fine" he hissed through gritted teeth "I'll take you to see the lanterns."  
  
"Yay!" Jensen exclaimed, suddenly pulling all of his hair back, and Tristan found himself face first on the pavement.  
  
"Ouch" he muttered.

  


  
"You coming, blondie?"  
  
Tristan was climbing his way down, using the same arrow that helped him climbing up, and Jensen was just staring, unable to take the step that would have finally set him free. The world suddenly looked so much closer, and he was halfway to it; it seemed too big, and he was suddenly afraid he was not going to dare crossing the line. Chad nudged his ankle with his head, and then pointed with his tail towards the unknown, expectantly.  
  
"You're right, Chad" he murmured. "I have to do this. For me."  
  
He tied the end of his hair to the iron hook he used to lift up his mother, closed his eyes and justâ€¦ jumped. The chameleon squeaked loudly during the whole descend and, before either of them knew it, they were landing on the ground. Jensen's eyes sparkled.  
  
"Just smell the grass, Chad!" he exclaimed. It was just as he dreamed it would. The summer breeze was blowing through the trees, almost calling out to him, and Jensen inhaled deeply: it was like truly breathing for the first time ever. He could run, he could dance, he could splash through the river...his life was finally about to begin and his chest was swelling with so much joy it felt like he was barely able to contain it.  
  
"I can't believe I did this" he said, twirling on himself, but stopped mid-movement. His mother was gonna be so furious... "Oh well," he muttered. "What she doesn't know won't kill her. I will be back before she does and she will never find out."  
  
Finally Tristan caught up with him, and they started crossing the forest. While Jensen was excited to be free, he was also deeply conflicted between his freedom and his guilt of disobedience, because despite knowing that this was a step he had to take, sooner or later, and that really, he wasn't doing anything wrong, he couldn't help thinking he was a horrible son for not listening to what his mother told him.  
  
"Maybe I should go back" he murmured suddenly, curled up against the trunk of a tree as they caught their breath. "Maybe I'm not cut for this."  
Tristan sighed and sat next to him.  
  
"You know" he started, conversationally "I can't help but notice that you seem a little at war with yourself, here.â€� Jensen clenched his jaw but didn't reply, so Tristan just went on. "I mean, I'm only picking up bits and pieces, butâ€¦ overprotective mother, forbidden road tripâ€¦" he shrugged. "Been there, done that, dude. Let me ease your conscience; this is part of growing up, okay? A little rebellion and a little adventureâ€¦ it's good, healthy, even."  
  
Chad, who was also resting on a stone, glared at him, but Jensen looked a little less gloomy so he counted it as a victory. "You think so?" he asked, hesitantly.  
  
Tristan grinned. "I know so" he answered. "You are way over thinking this; you just have to do it." He didn't know why he wasn't taking advantage of Jensen's weak and fragile state to convince him to go back to the tower, get his satchel and be on his way; made no sense for him not to want this trip to end, after all.  
  
Jensen's gaze turned resolute. "You're right" he said. "I'm seeing those lanterns."  
  
Tristan nodded, as his expression softened. "Of course you will."  


 

  
Misha was following Tristan's smell, already tasting the treats he was going to be rewarded with by the Captain of the guard once he had brought the criminal to justice, when he heard someone approaching. He jumped out of the bushes, neighing loudly and scaring the living daylights out of the woman in a cape that was walking amongst the trees.  
  
The woman looked at him. "A palace horse" she muttered, and then her eyes went wide. "Where's your rider?!" she inquired, suddenly aware of the implications. Jensen was in danger: if the guards where so close, they could have... She ran back to the tower, as fast as she could, and once she was there she called out to Jensen to lift her up; no answer came from the tower. She opened a secret passage she hadn't used for years and climbed up the stairs, shouting Jensen's name again and again, until she was finally inside the tower and had to admit that her son was not there anymore. She pulled at her hair in panic until, from under the staircase, something caught her attention: a weak sparkle.  
  
She removed the top lid of the step and there it was, a leather satchel containing- She dropped the crown as if it burned, as she gasped. She recognized that crown, of course she did. She turned the satchel and shook it, hoping to find some clue of where the hell his son was and who was responsible for this, and a folded paper fell from a pocket. It was a WANTED poster, and she stared at the picture of the criminal with narrowed eyes. Whoever this Tristan was, he was going to regret the day he stepped on her toes.

 

  
"So, Tristan...where are you from?"  
  
Tristan gasped at Jensen's voice; they had been walking for a while without speaking and he had almost forgotten the guy was with him. Almost.  
  
"Sorry, blondie, I don't do back stories," he replied, "even if I am getting quite interested in yours." Jensen stepped a little closer. "I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair, or the mother, and frankly I'm scared to ask about the frog-"  
  
"Chameleon" Jensen corrected him, petting the animal's head. "His name's Chad."  
  
Tristan snickered. "No way! Chad the chameleon? _Chad_ meleon?" Chad glared at him, but Jensen chuckled. Tristan tried to ignore what the sound did to his stomach, and tried to follow his train of thoughts. "My question is: if you wanted to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?"  
  
Jensen's gaze shifted. "Well, I-" Jensen's answer was interrupted by a sudden, rumbling noise. "...Tristan?" he asked, nervously, and saw the guy's face going pale.  
  
"Oh, great," Tristan growled. "Just what we needed."  
  
Voices shouting Tristan's name added to the noise, and Tristan just grabbed Jensen's arm and took off running, pulling him along. As they reached a wooden dam, built right in a clearing in the middle of the forest, two thugs dressed in red and blue appeared from the opposite side, both their swords and their teeth bared as they growled at Tristan. He stepped in front of Jensen.  
  
"Who are they?" Jensen asked, shaking.  
  
"Chris and Steve. They don't like me" Tristan replied, slowly stepping back and hoping they wouldn't see him.  
  
"And what about those guys following us?" Jensen inquired further.  
  
Tristan bit his lower lip. "Palace guards, they...they don't like me either" he muttered. "Listen, let's just assume for the moment that everyone in here doesn't like me, yeah?" Jensen frowned, and Tristan lifted both his hands.  
"Hey, don't look at me. I told you that trusting me was a monumentally bad idea."  
  
Jensen looked around, trying to find an escape route. _Not everyone in here doesn't like you_ , he thought, before noticing a narrow cave. "In there!" he exclaimed, and they both took off running under the dam, just as the horses and the men rumbling through the clearing made it shatter and crumble. Hundreds of liters of water fell over the guards, the thugs and everything in between, and even if the passage they had taken was narrow, slowly but surely the level of water rose.  
  
They were going to drown, if they couldn't find a way out.  
  
Tristan kept diving, trying to see where the cave was supposed to lead, but it was too dark and he couldn't. So, he started to dig the rocky walls, hoping to be able to open a way big enough for them to pass through, but in vain; at a too energetic pull, a pointy rock sliced his palm open. He growled, in pain, but kept shoving at the wall, as Jensen tried to scoop out some of the rocks with the handle of his pan.  
  
"It's no use" Tristan panted, surfacing from one more useless exploration. "I can't see anything."  
  
Jensen felt his chest clench and tried to dive too, but Tristan pulled him up.  
  
"Hey, there's no point, Jensen, it's pitch black down there" he told him, as he pulled the blonde wet bangs back.  
  
Jensen's lower lip trembled. "This is all my fault" he murmured. "I never should have done this. I'm so sorry, Tristan."  
The thief sighed. "Jared."  
  
Jensen lifted his gaze. "...what?"  
  
Tristan bit his lower lip. "My real name is Jared Padalecki" he explained.  
"Didn't sound menacing enough, so I changed it. Someone might as well know."  
  
Jensen offered him a little smile. "Well, I have magic hair that glows when I sing," he revealed.  
  
Jared gasped. "Wait, what?"  
 

  
"We made it" Jensen said, still coughing, and Jared simply nodded, his breath coming out in short heavy pants.  
  
"His hair glows" Jared muttered to himself "I didn't see that coming."  
  
Jensen beamed at him. "We're alive!" he exclaimed, standing up on shaky legs.  
They had swam for a pretty long part of the cave, and surfaced not really far from the city.  
  
"Why does his hair glow?" the thief asked to Chad, who simply huffed and padded away.  
  
"Jared..." He slowly sat up, and Jensen smiled sheepishly. "It doesn't _just_ glow" he murmured. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted Jared to know.

 

  
Coughing and panting, Steve and Chris managed to save themselves, and found themselves back in the woods. "I'll kill him" Chris hissed "I'll kill that Tristan!"  
  
Steve nodded. "We just have to reach the kingdom and get back the crown" he muttered.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
"Or perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails and think for a moment" a female voice stated, stopping them cold in their tracks.  
  
They turned and saw a beautiful woman in a burgundy cape, smirking at them.  
She was holding the satchel. They growled and bared their swords, but the woman just chuckled.  
  
"Oh, please, there's no need for that" she said, throwing the satchel at them. They opened it and rejoiced at seeing the crown inside. She crossed her arms on her chest. "If that's all you want, then by all mean be on your way," she added, "but I was going to offer you something worth a thousand crowns: would have made you rich and that wasn't even the best part."  
  
They just stared at her, so she shrugged. "Oh well. C'est la vie. Enjoy your crown!"  
  
She didn't have the time to take two steps in the opposite direction when Chris asked, "What's the best part?"  
  
Her smirk turned feral. "It comes with revenge on Tristan."  
 

  
A camp fire was crackling, and Jared was sitting on a trunk next to Jensen, who was carefully wrapping his hair around Jared's injured hand. Jensen swallowed. "Don't freak out" he said, nervously, before he closed his eyes and sang.  
  
_Flower, gleam and glow: let your power shine, make the clock reverse. Bring back what once was mine._  
  
His hair started glowing then, and the glowing intensified as he kept on singing.  
  
_Heal what has been hurt, change the fate's design, save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine._  
  
Chad arched an eyebrow, smugly, and nodded towards Jared's hand; as Jensen's hair unwrapped from around it, his breath itched at noticing there was no trace of his deep and serious wound.  
  
"Please, don't freak out" Jensen repeated, looking positively terrified, and Jared forced himself to calm down.  
  
"I-I'm not freaking out," he said. "I'm just very interested in your magic hair and the qualities it possesses. How long has it being doing that exactly and you know all of that?" he blurted it all out, desperately trying not to show how affected he was by the discovery.  
  
Jensen let out a nervous chuckle. "Well...forever, I guess" he answered "or at least for as long as I can remember." He sighed. "Mother says that when I was a baby, someone tried to cut it to take it for themselves, but..." He pulled his hair back, baring his neck, and suddenly Jared's mouth went dry.  
Right on the nape, there was a short dark colored lock. "When it's cut it turns brown and loses its power" Jensen went on, not noticing the way Jared's gaze was fixed on his white skin and not his hair. "A gift like this has to be protected" Jensen concluded. "That's why Mother never let me...you know."  
  
Jared scooted a little closer. "You never left that tower? As in, _ever_?" Jensen looked away, and nodded. "You're still gonna go back?" Jared inquired, hating the dread blooming in his chest.  
  
Jensen looked lost. "No. Yes. I don't...It's complicated, Jay."  
  
Jared's heart did beat a little faster at that; no one had ever called him like that. It sounded nice, in Jensen's voice.  
  
Jensen coughed lightly, before changing the topic. "So, Jared Padalecki, huh?"  
  
Jared sighed. "I'll spare you the sad story of poor orphan Jared Padalecki, since it's a little bit of a downer" he tried, but Jensen just looked at him with curious, intense eyes, and he couldn't help a groan. "Okay, fine" he muttered.  
  
"There was a book I used to read every night to the younger kids: The exciting life of Tristan Sichinava, richest man alive, not bad with the ladies, exceptional swordfighter."  
  
"Was he a thief too?" Jensen asked.  
  
Jared's gaze shifted. "Actually, no. He had so much money that he didn't need to steal it, you know. He could do anything he wanted to do, go wherever he wanted to go...and for a kid with nothing, wellâ€¦ It seemed like the better option."  
Jensen chuckled softly.  
  
"You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" Jared pleaded. "It could ruin my whole reputation."  
  
"And we wouldn't want that" Jensen mocked him, but Jared let him.  
  
"My fake reputation is all I have, man."  
  
Jensen shook his head. "No, it's not" he retorted in a whisper.  
  
Jared blinked at how close they suddenly were when he could feel Jensen's warm breath against his cheek. The guy's mouth was tantalizing and tempting, and all he had to do was lean in and- He pulled back, clearing his throat. "We need more firewood" he stated hurriedly, and stood up.  
  
"Jay?"  
  
Jared turned slightly.  
  
"For the record" Jensen said "I like Jared Padalecki way more than Tristan What's-his-name."  
  
Jared swallowed, staring at his magically cured palm. "You'd be the first," he murmured, as he stepped back into the woods "but thank you."

 

  
**TBC...**


	2. Part 2: What you need is standing in front of you

  
Jensen was still staring at the point where Jared had disappeared in the forest when a very well known voice turned the blood in his veins into ice.  
  
"Well, I thought he'd never leave."  
  
Jensen turned abruptly and, sure enough, his mother was there, a little smirk on her face. "Mother?!" Jensen exclaimed, scrambling up and feeling all of his guilt crashing over him like a tidal wave.  
  
"Hello, dear" Samantha greeted him, stepping closer and hugging him tightly.  
  
"How did you find me?" Jensen asked, confused, and his mother chuckled.  
  
"Oh, it was easy, really" she answered "I just had to follow the sound of utter betrayal and broken promises."  
  
Jensen cringed. "Mother, I-"  
  
"We're going home, Jensen," she stated, stepping back and grabbing Jensen's arm. "Now."  
  
Jensen stomped his foot. "You don't understand!" he protested. "I've been on this incredible journey, I've seen and learned so much, and I met someone that-"  
  
Samantha snorted. "Oh, yeah, the wanted thief! I'm so proud of you, baby" she retorted mockingly. "Come on now."  
  
Jensen frowned,jerking his arm free. "Mother, wait, I can't just go! I think..." He bit his lower lip. "I think he _likes_ me."  
  
Samantha blinked, before she started laughing. "Oh, please, Jensen, that's demented! You're the sick one, he's a criminal but I'm quite sure he's-normal."  
  
Jensen flinched. "I didn't even-"  
  
"That's why you never should have left!" she exclaimed, interrupting him.   
"Now you've even invented a gay romance? Don't you realize you're just proving me you're way too naive to be out?"  
  
Jensen clenched his fists and lowered his head, but his mother, apparently, wasn't done.  
  
"You're just being ridiculous. Why would he like you, really? Just look at you! What do you have that could impress him?"  
  
Once more, Jensen's gaze shifted on his simple clothes, his naked feet and his abnormally long hair covering the ground. His shoulders sagged under the weight of his mother's words, and the fragile self esteem he had started to build since he left the tower came crumbling down.  
  
"Don't be a dummy" Samantha murmured, petting his head "come back with me, you know I know best."  
  
Jensen took a step towards her, but Chad's little paw grabbed his ankle. When he looked down, the chameleon was staring back at him, shaking his head furiously and pointing towards the forest where Jared had disappeared into. Suddenly lots of images and moments came rushing to him, and he recalled Jared's smile, the way the guy protected him, gave him strength and listened to him, something no one had ever done for him before, and took his decision.  
  
"No."  
  
Samantha turned towards him, surprised. "I see how it is" she retorted. " _You_ know best, now that you're so mature, don't you? Clever and grown up."  
  
Jensen didn't like the sarcasm in his mother's tone, but she simply pulled her cape on the side and dangled the satchel in front of him. "If you're so sure, if he's such a dream boat, then go ahead and give it back to him. Put him to the test. If he's so into you as you think, nothing will change, now, will it?"  
  
Jensen's eyes went wide. "How did you-"  
  
" _This_ is why he's here" she insisted, throwing the crown at Jensen's feet. "Don't let him deceive you, Jensen!"  
  
Jensen narrowed his eyes. "I will," he stated, feigning a certainty he most definitely didn't possess.  
  
Samantha smirked.  
  
"Trust me, my dear, once he has the crown he'll leave you so fast your head will spin," she declared. "And don't expect me not to tell you _I told you so_ , when it happens; if he's lying, don't come crying." Then she just turned and left, ignoring Jensen calling out to her.  
  


  
Jensen's hands were gripping at the crown so tightly they were shaking, and he was so caught up in the battle taking place inside his chest that he didn't hear Jared come back until he heard the thief's voice asking jokingly if he was going to get super strength into his hand because it had been cured with Jensen's magical powers. "That would be stupendous" he concluded, dropping an armful of firewood next to the trunk they were sitting on.  
  
Jensen had his back turned towards him, and Jared got the feeling that something was wrong. "You okay?" he inquired.  
  
Jensen swallowed. "Yeah, of course. Just lost in thoughts, I guess" he replied.  
  
Jared arched an eyebrow, but didn't ask further, going back to why having superpowers was going to be incredibly cool. Jensen shook his head, affectionately, but was very grateful for the change of subject.  
  


  
"Why can't we just attack him now?" Chris hissed, itching for Tristan's blood, but Samantha just threw him a glance.  
  
"Patience, boys," she said. "All good things come for those who wait."  
  


  
It was a weird, panting breathing that woke up Jared, the following morning. At first, he thought he was still dreaming, and the naked, sweaty Jensen in his head had more than one reason to pant like that, but then a couple of drops fell on his cheek and his eyes snapped open, finding the muzzle of the captain's horse a few inches from his face. The horse growled at him, biting the leg of his pant and started to drag him away.  
  
Jensen was awoken by Jared's screams, and arrived just in time to grab the thief's arms to pull him away.  
  
The horse narrowed his eyes and then galloped straight towards Jared, but Jensen stepped right in front of him.  
  
"Easy, boy, easy" he said, lifting his arms, to calm the horse down. The horse at first seemed to be unfazed by him, but then he noticed Chad, perched on the top of Jensen's head, who was also signing him to stop and, more for the weirdness of the situation than because he was intimidated by a chameleon, he settled.  
  
"That's it" Jensen said, grabbing his bridle and softly petting the horse's mane, as he kept talking to him softly. "No one appreciates you, do they?" he purred, and Jared groaned.  
  
"He's a bad horse," he tried, but Jensen glared at him.  
  
"He's nothing but a sweetheart" he replied, petting the horse some more. "Isn't that right..." He checked the horse's plate. "...Misha?"  
  
The horse neighed, ecstatic, and licked Jensen's cheek.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me" Jared muttered, crossing his arms and feeling ridiculously jealous of the horse.  
  
Misha glared at him, but Jensen stepped between them again. "I get you that want to capture him," he said, "but today is sort of the most important day of my life, you know? And I need you not to get him arrested, just for today. Twenty-four hours, and then you can chase each other to your heart's content."  
  
Misha neighed doubtfully, and Jared stared him down. Then he looked at Jensen's earnest face and sighed, offering his hand to the horse, feeling even stupider.  
  
Misha turned away, and Jensen whispered "Itâ€™s also my birthday."  
  
The horse rolled his eyes, but did lift a leg and let Jared shake it.  
  
Jensen beamed at them. "Okay then! Let's go!"  
  
He bounced away, towards the bridge connecting the forest to the town and, as soon as his back was turned, Misha kicked Jared in his stomach, hopping away right after, snickering.  
  


  
There was a market going on, and people rushing from one side to the other. Carriages, animals, kids and noise and Jensen was overwhelmed. Also, no matter how hard he tried to keep his hair away from the passersby, there was no way he was going to be able to walk amongst people without arranging it somehow.  
  
Jared and Misha were too busy bickering and shoving each other to notice, so Chad narrowed his eyes and had to take care of it himself. He saw three little girls braiding each other hair and had the perfect idea. In no time, Jensen's hair had been styled in small, extra tight braids that made the cascade of hair easier to manage.  
  
Jared couldnâ€™t help but stare at Jensen, until he was caught by Misha, who kept making fun of him for the rest of the day.  
  


  
In the main square, there was a giant wall painting of a very young king and queen; the queen was holding a baby in her arms. He had short, blonde hair and big, green eyes. Some kids were leaving flowers on the ground, right under the painting. "Itâ€™s for the lost prince," one of them told Jensen when he stopped to look.  
  
Somehow, they looked familiar.  
  
Then, the music started, and everyone started dancing in the center of the square, laughing and clapping their hands. Jensen joined in, despite not knowing the steps, and simply lost himself in the music, twirling around with his arms in the air, as happy and free as he had never been before. Everywhere around him, lilac flags with the symbol of the kingdom, a golden sun, were flapping in the breeze. They ate cupcakes, painted on the sidewalk, read ancient books in the library writing down itineraries to go wherever their fantasy could take them to, and before they knew it, it was sunset.  
  
"To the boats!" someone exclaimed, and everyone rushed to the harbour. Jensen and Jared's hands, which had joined during the dance, separated, as both guys looked away and followed the crowd. Chad and Misha threw a side glance at each other, perfectly aware of what was happening but not sure if it was going to be a good idea after all.  
  


  
As Jared started paddling away, Misha neighed in disappointment; he had to stay on the pier. Jared rolled his eyes and threw a bag at the horse.  
When it landed in front of Misha's hoofs, it broke, revealing a dozen of red apples. Misha stared at Jared suspiciously, and the guy sighed.  
  
"I bought them!" he said, and Misha beamed, starting to eat them. "Most of them" Jared muttered, and Chad slapped his forehead.  
"Where are we going?" Jensen asked, and Jared couldn't help but smile at his excitement.  
  
"Well, if this is the best day of your life, I figured you deserved a decent seat," he replied.  
  
They stopped right in front of the castle, in the open sea, and waited for the spectacle to begin. Jensen looked distressed, though, and Jared didn't like it.  
  
"What's wrong, Jensen?" he asked, slightly worried.  
  
Jensen looked away. "I'm terrified," he answered in a whisper.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Jensen fidgeted. "I've been looking out of my window for 22 years, Jay," he explained, "dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky..." He bit his lower lip. "What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?"  
  
Jared grabbed his wrist gently and squeezed. "It will be, Jen" he replied, softly. "It will be."  
  
Jensen sighed. "And what if it is, then?" he inquired, his eyes big and fearful, and Jared slid closer.  
  
"That's the best part," he said. "You get to go find a new dream."  
  
Jensen nodded slightly, wanting nothing but a speckle of Jared's strength, as they both stared at the sky darkening around them.  
  


  
Once the king and queen's lantern had been released, thousands of other lanterns followed, from every corner of the kingdom. Jensen eyes went wide, as the sky lightened up in front of him, and he felt his eyes fill up with tears. All those days wasted watching from his window, all those years spent wondering what was going to be hidden behind the mountains, farther than his eyes could reach...during all that time, he had never known what actually _seeing_ meant.  
  
And now, finally, he wasn't blind anymore; now that he was blinking in the starlight, it was like the fog had lifted and he could at last see the light. _I'm where I'm meant to be_ he thought, suddenly, and even the same sky he had been watching obsessively all of his life looked different and new; everything around him was warm, real and so bright it was blinding him.  
  
Jared cleared his throat, snapping him out of reverie, and when Jensen turned towards him he saw that Jared was holding two lanterns. "I thought you'd have wanted to be a part of this," he explained, his cheeks slightly flushed, and Jensen's heart beat a little faster; if everything looked different, if suddenly everything was so clear... It was because he met Jared. And one of the reasons why Jensen's world had now more colors and life than ever before was that now Jensen could see Jared and finally know what he wanted.  
  
He sat in front of Jared and offered him a little smile. "I've got something for you too" he said, offering him the satchel. "I know, I should have given it to you before but- I was scared" he admitted, sheepishly. "But I'm not scared anymore," he added, "and that's because of you." His gaze shifted from side to side. "You know what I mean?" he asked, suddenly nervous, but Jared just smiled and grabbed Jensen's hand.  
  
"I'm starting to."  
  
And he really was.  
  
As they released the lanterns in the sky, Jared realized that all those days he spent chasing down empty daydreams and all those years he lived in a blur were nothing but a step to take him closer to there and then. During all that time he never truly understood the meaning of life, he never really appreciated the things he had, but now... Now Jensen was there, next to him, shining like the most precious stone under the starlight, and Jared knew, without a doubt, that it might have taken him a little longer but he was finally where he had been meant to go all along. He was seeing it crystal clear, now. Jensen was what he had been searching for.  
  
At last, they were seeing the light and, somehow, they felt like they were home. Jared pulled Jensen closer, and Jensen went with it, his eyelids already lowering, but right before their lips touched, Jared saw a glimpse of light on the shore.  
  
Chris. And Steve.  
  
He swallowed and slowly pulled back.  
  
"Is...everything okay?" Jensen asked, hesitantly, and Jared squeezed his hand.  
  
"Of course! I just...let's take this slow, okay?" he suggested, knowing that Jensen deserved better than a petty thief and was dead set on fixing it.  
  


  
Jared pulled their boat back to the shore, and then grabbed the satchel. At Jensen's confused glance his resolution grew even stronger. "Everything is fine, I promise," he told him. "There's just something I need to take care of."  
  
Millions of emotions ran through Jensen's eyes, but in the end he managed to offer Jared a small smile. "Okay" he said "I will...wait here, then."  
  
Jared pushed his fists in his pockets, as far as they went, to stop himself from just holding Jensen, consequences be damned, but instead he stepped away. "I'll be right back" he stated, before disappearing into the night.  
  
Chad hopped on Jensen's shoulder and licked his cheek, but Jensen just clenched his jaw. "It's gonna be alright, Chad" he murmured.  
  


  
"There you are, friends! I've been searching everywhere for you guys since we got separated" Jared exclaimed, faking mirth he wasn't feeling at all as he approached Steve and Chris.  
  
Neither of the men answered.  
  
Jared swallowed and stepped closer to Steve, who was sharpening his knife. "Anyhow, I just wanted to say that I shouldn't have split" he said, throwing the satchel at them. "Crown's all yours. I'll miss you dearly, but I think it's time for me to go, so-"  
  
"What's the rush?" the growling voice of Chris inquired, right behind him. "You're not holding out on us again, are you?"  
  
Jared blinked. "Wha-"  
  
"We heard you found something," Steve explained, standing up. "Something much more valuable than a crown."  
  
Jared's gaze shifted. "I don't know what you're talking about" he replied, but Chris grabbed his arm and twisted it.  
  
"Of course you do," he hissed, right into his ear. "We want _him_ instead."  
  
Jared's eyes went wide. Oh, God, _no_.  
  


  
Jensen was pacing nervously up and down next to the boat, until he heard steps approaching and, through the fog, he could see the outline of a man walking towards him. He let out a relieved sigh.  
  
"Finally," he said, with a beaming smile. "I was starting to think that you had run away with the crown and left me."  
  
Then the man side-stepped, showing a second man behind him, and Jensen took a step back.  
  
"He did" Chris said, smirking.  
  
Jensen gaped at them. "No," he murmured. "He wouldn't."  
  
"How else would we know about your magic powers, _Jensen_?" Steve asked, mockingly, and Jensen felt his legs give out under him.  
  
"Jared!" he shouted, stepping farther away from the two thugs. "Jared, please!"  
  
"It was a fair trade, after all" Steve chimed, as Chris pulled at Jensen's hair. "How much do you think someone would pay to be young and healthy forever?"  
  
Jensen swayed for a second, then suddenly turned and ran away through the woods. He didn't go far, though: his hair got stuck in a branch, and he started pulling at it, panicking, but then a groan and a _thud_ coming from where he left the thieves got his attention. _Maybe Jared has changed his mind and came back for me!_ he thought, and as soon as his hair was freed he went back to the shore. However, it was not Jared he found, but his mother, with a heavy stick, and the thugs passed out on the sand.  
  
"Mother?" he called out, surprised, and Samantha dropped the stick to run to him.  
  
"My precious boy," she murmured, checking him for injuries. "Are you hurt?"  
  
Jensen blinked. "Mother, how did you-"  
  
"I was worried about you, so I followed you and I saw them attacking you," Samantha explained, interrupting him, her hands shaky where they were grabbing Jensen's biceps. "Where the hell is the boy that was supposed to protect you?" she inquired then, his gaze shifting as she looked for Jared.  
  
Jensen's heart cracked. "He..." he started "I..."  
  
His mother shook her head. "We will talk about it later, now we have to go quickly before these thugs come to!"  
  
This time, when she pulled him, Jensen went with her, not sparing a single glance to what he was leaving behind.  
  
"You were right," he murmured, his head hanging low. "You were right about everything."  
  
Samantha's soft smile turned into a feral grin.  
  
"I know, darling. I know."  
  


  
The boat hit the pier right in front of the kingdom's prison, attracting the attention of the guards on the ramparts. They looked down, and were surprised to find Tristan, the wanted thief, tied to the rudder, holding the crown in one hand.  
  
"Jensen? Jensen!" Jared exclaimed, as soon as the guards were on him. As they dragged him towards the dungeons, he saw Steve and Chris in a nearby cell, and broke free to slam his fists against the bars. "How did you know about him, you son of a bitch?!" he roared, and his face had to be pretty scary, because even Chris stepped back.  
  
"The lady," he muttered. "It was the lady who told us."  
  
"Wha-" Jared started, but he was pulled away by the guards. A lady? But... His eyes went wide when finally his brain caught up with him.  
  
"Let me go!" he yelled. "He's in trouble! He needs me! Please!"  
  
He didn't know how, but he knew he had to save Jensen, and nothing else mattered more.  
  


  
"There," Samantha said, brushing Jensen's hair finally back to their unbraided status. "It never happened."  
  
Jensen was curled up in his bed and didn't answer. "You should wash up for dinner, flower, I'm making hazelnut soup, remember?" she tried again, but Jensen just turned his back to her.  
  
She sighed. "I tried to warn you about what was out there, Jensen, I did," she pointed out. "The world is dark, selfish and cruel; if it finds even the slightest ray of sun, it destroys it." She patted Jensen's shoulder and left him alone.  
  
As soon as she was gone, Jensen sighed as well, and pulled out of his pocket the lilac flag with the golden sun sewn in the center that Jared had gotten him at the village. He couldn't believe everything had been a lie.  
  
Chad nudged at his side, before curling in his lap, his round eyes sad and worried. Jensen pet him, before laying down once more, on his back, and staring at all the painting decorating his room.   
  
Suddenly something caught his attention; on the ceiling, right above his head, there was a figure that resembled the symbol of the kingdom. He frowned, confused. He was sure he had never seen it before the previous night. He turned towards the wall, and sure enough, there was another sun. And another, and another; now that he knew what to look for, he realized that he had painted the symbol of the kingdom in every single picture.  
  
But how? Why?  
  
Then the symbol called out for that giant wall painting in the main square, and in a moment everything was clear in his mind. Including what he felt when he placed the crown on his head. The shock was so strong he stumbled back, hitting his desk and making all of his books fall.  
  
"Jensen?" Samantha called. "Are you alright up there?"  
  
She walked up the stairs, and she found Jensen standing there, shaking in rage.   
  
"I'm the lost prince," he hissed.  
  
Samantha rolled her eyes. "Come on, speak up, Jensen, you know how I hate mumbling..."  
  
"I am the lost prince!" Jensen shouted, narrowing his eyes.  
Samantha gaped at him, eyes wide, and didn't reply.  
  
"Did I mumble, _Mother_?" Jensen growled, realizing right after he had spoken that no, she wasn't.  
  
That seemed to snap Samantha out of her reverie, though, because she hurried up the last few steps and offered Jensen a smile as fake as it could be, Jensen could see it clearly now. "Do you even hear yourself, flower?" she asked, grabbing his arm. "Why would you ask such a ridiculous question, huh?"  
  
Jensen stepped back. "It was all you, wasn't it?"  
  
Samantha's smile fell off her face.  
  


  
_It all started with the sun. Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens, and from this small drop of sun grew a magic golden flower with the ability to heal the sick and injured; instead of sharing the sun's gift, Samantha, who had found it by chance one morning, hoarded its healing power and used it to keep herself young for hundreds of years, just by singing to it. Centuries passed by and there grew a kingdom, ruled by a beloved King and Queen. When the Queen was about to have a baby, she got really sick; that's when people usually start to look for a miracle, or, in this case, a magic golden flower. The guards, searching for a cure, found the mysterious flower and made a broth out of it, healing the queen, and she gave birth to a boy with beautiful golden hair: Jensen. Once Jensen was born, Samantha discovered that his golden hair retained the flower's healing abilities as long as it wasn't cut, so she kidnapped him and isolated him in a tower, raising him as her own son. The Kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the Prince. They didn't lose hope, though, and each year on his birthday, the kingdom released thousands of lanterns into the sky in hope that one day, their lost Prince would return._   
  


  
"Everything I did, I did it to protect you" Samantha hissed, but Jensen was done with it. All of it.  
  
He shoved her away and walked quickly down the stairs. "I spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power, and it turns out that the only one I should have been hiding from was you!"  
  
Samantha crossed her arms on his chest. "And where are you gonna go, then? He's not going to be there for you."  
  
Jensen clenched his jaw. "What did you do to him?" he asked, his voice edgy and cold.  
  
"He's a criminal," Samantha replied, shrugging. "He deserves to be hanged for his crimes."  
  
Jensen gasped. "No! You can't-he can't-"  
  
"It's gonna be alright, listen to me," Samantha purred, moving in to pet Jensen's head. "All of this is as it should be-"  
  
Jensen grabbed her wrist and kept it away. "No," he growled, "you are wrong about the world, about Jared and especially about _me_!" Samantha threw him a deadly glare, but Jensen was not done yet. "I won't let you use the power of my hair ever again," he stated, firmly, pushing Samantha away until she hit the mirror, which fell on the floor smashed into pieces.  
  
Samantha narrowed her eyes. "You want me to be the bad guy?" she muttered through gritted teeth. "Fine. Now I am the bad guy."  
  


  
Misha was resting in the stables, but he woke up immediately hearing Jared's broken voice. Something was not right. Then suddenly the whole prison exploded in noise and panic, and the horse understood Jared had escaped.  
  
He was torn. He knew he was supposed to deliver Tristan-Jared to justice, him being a criminal and everything, butâ€¦ He had seen the way the guy acted, and he had seen the way he cared for Jensen. And he did feed him very good apples.  
  
The decision was made then and there, and he galloped straight towards the only possible way the guy could come from. Just as he anticipated, Jared appeared, running like the wind, and he gaped at seeing him, but Misha simply turned and offered him his back.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Jared asked, but the horse simply neighed and stared at him smugly. Jared patted his side. "Whatever the reason, thank you, Misha. I mean it. Maybe all of this time we have been misunderstanding each other, and we should just-"  
  
Misha arched an eyebrow, and Jared shrugged.  
  
"Nah, you're right. Let's just see how fast you can run, then."  
  


  
"Jensen?" Jared yelled, dread in his heart. "Jensen, let down your hair, come on!"  
  
No answer was coming, so he started climbing with his bare hands, but after a few moments the window was opened and Jensen's hair was thrown over the windowsill for him to grab onto. He climbed as fast as he could manage, and despite being out of breath he was smiling when he stepped inside the tower.  
  
"Thank God, Jen, I thought I'd never see you again" he muttered, but when he looked up he saw Jensen lying on the floor, tied up and gagged. His eyes were wide and scared, but before he could take a single step towards him Samantha appeared right behind him and stabbed him with her dagger. Jared groaned in pain and fell down on his knees, as Jensen screamed in his gag.  
  
"Now look what you've done, Jensen," Samantha said, annoyed. "Well, at least our secret will die with him." She walked up to him and grabbed his chin. "As for us, we're going to where no one will ever find you again."  
  
Chad jumped on her, squeaking, and bit her hand, freeing Jensen from his gag in the process. Samantha just hissed and kicked the little chameleon, who fell on his side, half unconscious.  
  
"Stop fighting me, Jensen!" Samantha demanded, but Jensen narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I won't stop for a minute of the rest of my life," he growled. "I will never stop trying to get away from you! Unless..." He turned towards Jared. "Unless you let me save him" he concluded, in a murmur.  
  
"No," Jared groaned. "Don't do it, Jen, not for me."  
  
"If you let me, I'll go with you" Jensen repeated.  
  
"I'll never run or try to escape. Just let me heal him and you and I will be together forever. Just us, just like the way it was. I promise."  
  
Chad made a small, broken sound, but Jensen's gaze was fierce and firm.  
  


  
Samantha had tied Jared against a column. "Just so you don't get any ideas about following us" she growled.  
  
Jared would have liked to reply, protest or maybe spit in her eye, but before he could do any he had an armful of Jensen.  
  
"Jared," he said, his voice shaky, "I'm so sorry, but everything is gonna be okay, I promise you that."  
  
Jared attempted to stop him, swatting weakly at Jensen's caring hands checking his wound, repeating like a mantra _no, no, not for me._  
  
Jensen smiled, despite his clouded eyes. "Just trust me, yeah? Breathe," he instructed, placing his hair over the wound.  
  
"I can't let you do this, Jensen, please" he tried again, but Jensen shook his head.  
  
"And I can't let you die, Jay."  
  
Jared swallowed. "But if you do this, _you_ will die, Jen. I can't let you," he murmured, his voice getting weaker by the second, and then he pulled Jensen closer, a hand behind the nape of his neck.  
  
Jensen blinked. "What are you-"  
  
Everything happened in an instant.  
  
Jared grabbed a piece of the broken mirror, arched up and, with a single precise movement, cut all of Jensen's hair right before his hand fell limp on the side.  
  
"Jared!" Jensen yelled, shaking him. "What have you done?!"  
  
Samantha let out a low growl as Jensen's hair became dark brown and her skin started cracking and peeling. She roared in pain and rage, stumbling across the room, until Chad moved a lock of hair right in front of her feet and she tripped, falling out of the window. Her ages caught up with her faster, though, and when she touched the ground, she was already dead. Nothing more than a small cloud of dust in her wake.  
  


  
Jensen stared at the scene; unable to do anything to stop it from unwinding, and it was Jared's cough that snapped him out of it.  
  
"Jay? No, Jay, come on, you can't do this to me," he pleaded, desperate. "Look at me, okay? I'm right here!" He grabbed Jared's hand and pressed it against his head, muttering the words of the song. Nothing happened. He kept trying until Jared squeezed his hand.  
  
"Jen, it's okay," he murmured. "You were my new dream, you know."  
  
Jensen's eyes filled with tears. "You were mine too."  
  
Jared offered him a weak smile, before closing his eyes.  
  
Jensen stared, powerless, as life left the only person who had ever loved him because of who he was and not what he could do. It was not fair, and it was not right. He lowered his head, cradling Jared's still body in his arms and cupping his face in his shaky hands.  
  
" _Heal what has been hurt_ ," he chanted softly, " _change the fate's design, save what has been lost. Bring back what once was mine..._ "  
  
Jared deserved someone strong, someone as brave as he was, but Jensen was not that guy. He had never been. So he tried to be strong and not cry (Jared would have mocked him endlessly otherwise) but one traitorous tear found its way down his cheek, falling on Jared's. It was so ridiculous, looked like Jared was crying too.  
  
 _I'm in love with you, Jay,_ Jensen mouthed against Jared's neck. _I'm in love with you and I've never told you._  
  
Suddenly, Jensen's tear glowed on Jared's face, and from that tiny spot, sparkles of light enveloped Jared, almost blinding Jensen with their gleaming. It was gone in a heartbeat.  
  
Jensen leaned in, staring at Jared's face expectantly, his chest clenched and the fear eating at him, but then Jared's eyelids fluttered and he let out a slow, deep breath.  
  
"Jen?" he called out, hoarsely.  
  
Jensen smiled, sure that everything he felt was plain to read in his eyes. "Hey, Jay."  
  
Jared hummed, lowly. "Did I ever tell you I have a thing for brunettes?"  
  
So did Jensen, of course, but there was no need for him to say it out loud; the way he was kissing Jared within an inch of his life spoke plenty, after all.  
  


_"Will we live happily ever after?" "Of course we will."_

  
  


  
  
**BONUS ART!**   
  


 

 

**Author's Note:**

>  **Not Coming Down From:**  [Office (sssh!)](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Office%20%28sssh%21%29)  
>  **Clawed Chained Heart:**  artistic  
>  **Under The Spell Of:**  keyboards&phones


End file.
